this is a great book...very interesting and funny

Just finished reading this book last night. Men Are Like Mocha Lattes by Lisa Summers follows Canadian abroad Lindsay Breyer has she completes a year at a teaching college in New Zealand.

I found the book a light and easy read, although like the previous reviewer below me, I had a little trouble getting into it at first. This was due to the format which is more diary/train of thought than narrative.

The characters were well-written. Lindsay is a flawed heroine: she's sweet, smart and well meaning but gullible and easily taken advantage of. Drew, Lindsay's romantic interest in the book, is selfish and manipulative. What I like best about Summers's writing is that she doesn't feel the need to spell it out for you; she trusts that her readers are smart enough to figure out what Lindsay's doing wrong: hopefully seeing a little bit of themselves in the character and learning/growing from it. (Okay, maybe not that far but I can see it happening...) I found myself so wrapped up in the characters that sometimes, I found myself angry at Drew for being a jerk or angry at Lindsay for letting him do it. (I guess I definitely see myself in Lindsay)

I also found the obvious comparisons between New Zealand and Canada amusing, especially in the face of powerhouse countries like Australia and The United States. I found myself chuckling as I recognized certain situations, like where the Kiwis kept calling Lindsay "American" because it's "the same thing". (I'm sure I'm guilty of thinking the same thing of Kiwis and Auzzies.) I wish Summers wrote more about this and her culture shock of going to a foreign country.

Overall, I found the book amusing and fun; definitely worth while picking up. However, I do wish we got to learn more about New Zealand. I did find the glossary in the back funny and worthwhile reading all the entries.

I just finished reading Men are Like Mocha Lattes this weekend. It took me a bit to get into it with the format of writing at the beginning of the book with the subheadings but once I got used to it, it was a really fun read. The very accommodating Lindsay reminds me a lot of myself and I really enjoyed watching how she progressed throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to the next book by Lisa Summers. :o)